The plan, which would expand the HRBT from a 4-lane highway to a 6-lane highway, was one of four possible plans to ease congestion between the Peninsula and the Southside.

Other proposals included building connections between Route 164 in Portsmouth and I-564 in Norfolk, expanding I-664, and building a water crossing between I-564 and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.

The proposal, known as "Alternative A," was the cheapest and smallest of the plans, costing $3.3 billion and including a 40 percent contingency. Under the plan, the bridge-tunnel expansion would be completed by 2024.

"That project will go out by VDOT, our construction partner. We'll put this project out, do design build, and actually accelerate the project through the design build process and that's how we can deliver it by 2024," said Kevin Page, the Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission.

The final decision will be made by the Commonwealth Transportation Board at a meeting this December.